Full moon hikes, a closed trailhead, and the big climbs are back

The read

Hiking season is here. The normal high in Phoenix falls from 90° today to 84° by the 29th. Sunrise is 6:33 today and 6:45 by the 29th, and the sun sets before 6. The Hunter's Moon is full on the night of Oct 25, and the parks are running hikes around it. Live conditions for every hike are on Today.

Heads up

Brown's Ranch Trailhead (Scottsdale) is closed for upgrades, with no street parking nearby. The City suggests the Pima Dynamite, Fraesfield, Granite Mountain or Tom's Thumb trailheads instead. City notice
Canyon Lake drawdown: the lake's recreation sites, including the marina lot where Boulder Canyon hikers usually park, are closed through February. The trail itself is outside the closure, so sort out parking before you go. Tonto NF
Thunderbird Conservation Park (Glendale): the 55th Ave. and 59th Ave. lots are closed for construction. All trails are open from the other trailheads. City of Glendale

Get out with a group

Fri 10/16, 10am Wildlife of the Sonoran Desert guided hike, Lost Dutchman State Park
Fri 10/16, 6pm Creatures of the Night hike, Spur Cross Ranch (registration, limit 20)
Sat 10/17, 6pm Scorpion Safari, San Tan Mountain Regional Park (registration, limit 30)
Thu 10/22, 4:30pm Ethnobotany hike, McDowell Mountain Regional Park (registration, limit 25)
Sat 10/24, 5:30pm Full Moon Hike, Usery Mountain Regional Park (registration, limit 30)
Sat 10/24, 7pm Full Moon Hike, Spur Cross Ranch (registration, limit 20)
Mon 10/26, 5:30pm Full Moon Hike, San Tan Mountain Regional Park (registration, limit 20)
Thu 10/29, 6pm Stargazing, Usery Mountain Regional Park (registration, limit 20)

Club spotlight: Phoenix (2-Hour) Beginner Hikers. About two-hour hikes around the Valley, with start times that shift with the temperature. A good first group if you're new here or new to hiking. Find them

Good right now

The big climbs are back: Flatiron (Siphon Draw). Steep, with a scramble at the top, and the best payoff in the Superstitions. From the field notes: start in the morning and the draw gives partial shade.
Brown's Ranch closed? Try this: Tom's Thumb. One of the City's suggested alternate trailheads. Steady switchbacks up to a granite tower over north Scottsdale.
Make a night of it at Usery: Wind Cave. A steady climb to a wind-carved alcove looking over the East Valley. Usery's full moon hike (10/24) and stargazing (10/29) are listed above.

New on the site

13 new hike pages: Barnhardt Trail, Black Mountain (Cave Creek), Boulder Canyon, Four Peaks Trail, Four Peaks (Browns Peak), Massacre Falls, Pass Mountain Summit Loop, Picketpost Mountain, San Tan Mountain (Malpais Loop), San Tan Mountain (Goldmine, San Tan and Moonlight Loop), Superstition Peak 5024 (Ironview Peak), Superstition Ridgeline and Wave Cave.
New field notes: Flatiron (Siphon Draw), Tom's Thumb, Wind Cave, Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, Hidden Valley (Fat Man's Pass), Hole-in-the-Rock and San Tan Mountain (Dynamite and Goldmine Loop).

Desert note: Tarantula season

Big spider on the trail this month? It's probably a male tarantula. Every fall, from about August through October, mature males leave their burrows to look for females, often around dusk. Females mostly stay home. They're harmless if you leave them alone. Sources: AZFamily and UA Extension.

Oct 15–29